Lawrence D. Bell

	LAWRENCE D. BELL Aircraft Designer and Manufacturer
	Born on April 5, 1894, in Mentone, Indiana, Larry Bell moved to Santa Monica, California with his family in 1907. In 1912, a month before he was to graduate from from Santa Monica Polytechnic, Bell became legendary stunt pilot Lincoln Beachey's mechanic. He then went to work for the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Company where, at age 20, he was shop foreman, becoming vice president and general manager soon after. In 1928, he joined Consolidated Aircraft in Buffalo, New York, as general manager. In 1935, Bell formed Bell Aircraft Corporation, designing and producing a number of innovative military aircraft. His company accomplished numerous firsts in aviation, including producing the XP-59, the first American jet-powered fighter aircraft, and the X-1, the first aircraft to exceed the speed of sound on October 14, 1947. The Model 47, first flown in December 1945, was the first commercial helicopter to obtain type approval in the United States. Larry Bell was honored with the Daniel Guggenheim Medal, the 1948 Collier Trophy, the French Legion of Honor, and a presidential citation. Bell died in 1956 at age 62.
	Elected to the International Aerospace Hall of Fame 2004